Tuesday, June 29, 2021

"Hawaii"

A couple days after I listened to the live version of "Hawaii" on 1967: Sunshine tomorrow, I was thinking about the song again, and I realized that in the line "I heard about all the pretty girls with their grass skirts down to their knees," the phrase "down to their knees" is sung to a descending group of notes (F Eb Db C), musically giving a sense of that "down."

Monday, June 28, 2021

"Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow"

In the line "Well, I heard this sound ev'rywhere I go" in "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow," "go" is sung with a melisma (F# G F# E, I think), musically giving a sense of movement.

Sunday, June 27, 2021

"Hully Gully"

On Brian Wilson's birthday, I started re-listening to all of the Beach Boys albums in my collection (going alphabetically).  While listening to Beach Boys Party! (actually the Uncovered and Unplugged edition), I noticed a couple of small features.

In the line "You just shake your shoulders, and you wiggle your knees" in "Hully Gully," "knees" is sung with a melisma (A G A C), giving a sense of that "wiggl[ing]."  "Most" in the line "Well, when me and my baby do it, child, we do it the most" is sung with the same melisma, this time giving a sense of degree or amount.

I also noticed that "coast to coast" in the line "Well, there's a dance spreadin' 'round from coast to coast" is a merism.